1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a novel photographic camera which records predetermined information on a photographic film loaded therein.
2. Description of the Related Art
It has been proposed to form an information recording area, such as a magnetic recording layer, in part of a photographic film, and to record information on each exposure frame, e.g., data on the condition of exposure upon taking the picture, in the recording area, thereby facilitating development and/or printing in a processing laboratory or the like. See, for instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,965,627, Japanese National-Publication-of-translated-version No. 4(1992)-502518, Japanese Patent Application No. 5(1993)0322393. For example, the brightness of the object, the position of the camera, the distance to the object, the print format (full size or panoramic size), whether the frame is to be printed, whether a strobe light is operated, and the like may be recorded.
A recent photographic camera is generally provided with an automatic exposure control system and/or an automatic focusing system; accordingly, there are fewer pictures defective due to underexposure, overexposure or failure in focusing. However, there are still many defective pictures due to accidental blockage of a strobe window with a finger, or due to an unintentional movement of the camera or the hands in taking a picture.
For example, a picture taken with the strobe window blocked with the photographer's finger is underexposed as compared with a picture taken with the strobe light properly operated. However, in such a camera, data informing that the strobe light was operated is recorded in the recording area irrespective of whether or not the strobe window was blocked in taking the picture. Accordingly, in a laboratory, the frame is processed regarding that the strobe light was properly operated, which results in a defective print.
In order to overcome this problem, we have proposed to provide a touch sensor in the vicinity of the strobe window and to electrically to detect that a finger of the photographer rests on the strobe window (that the strobe window is blocked with a finger) due to improper grip. (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6(1994)10064) In a camera provided with such a touch sensor, when it is detected that the strobe window is blocked with a finger, an LED, buzzer, or the like alarms the photographer. The photographer sometimes can take the same picture.
However, in the case of a quickly moving object, it is difficult to take the same picture. For example, when taking pictures of sports, momentary shutter release opportunities are very important, and there is little possibility of retaking the same composition.
Accordingly, it is preferred that the frame taken at a good shutter release opportunity can be printed in such a density as to permit the image of the object to be recognized, even if the frame was taken under improper operation of the strobe light and a good image quality cannot be expected.
Further, when the exposure time is long, defective pictures due to an unintentional movement of the camera or the hands in taking a picture becomes more apt to occur. Especially when the exposure time is longer than 1/60 second, the problem of defective pictures due to an unintentional movement of the camera becomes more serious. This tendency is especially apt to occur in a compact camera for amateurs. In many of automatic exposure control cameras, the lens opening and the exposure time are automatically set, according to the brightness of the object, in a programmed fashion. However, since the photographer generally handles the camera in the same way without taking into account the difference in the exposure time due to the difference in the brightness of the object, the picture is apt to be blurred due to an unintentional movement of the camera or the hands. Such a blurred picture basically need not be printed.
When the camera is provided with a print command inputting means for inputting information on whether the frame is to be printed, or on the number of prints required, and the photographer can record on the film that the frame need not be printed when he recognizes that the camera was moved to blur the picture, printing of blurred pictures due to an unintentional movement of the camera or the hands (will be simply referred to as "blurred picture", hereafter) can be prevented and the photographer can be relieved of a wasted of printing charge. That is, when the photographer recognizes that the camera was moved to blur the picture, he operates the print command inputting means to record on the film that the frame need not be printed (in the case of a print command inputting means for inputting information on the number of prints required, to record that the number of prints required is 0); and the record is read in the laboratory and printing of the frame is prevented.
However, when the camera is not provided with such a manual print command inputting means, even blurred pictures are printed and the photographer must pay an unnecessary printing charge.
Thus, there is a demand for a photographic camera in which the fact that a frame need not be printed can be automatically recorded on a film when the camera is moved to blur the picture.
However, the photographer sometimes wants to print even a blurred picture, for instance, when he could not retake the picture.